Prior cell culture devices have used three dimensional polymeric matrices comprising bundles of parallel fibers potted together at each end to form artificial capillary beds. See, e.g., Knazek et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,087. However, one problem with such devices is that when used with blood, clotting tends to occur at the ends of the fibers.
Spielberg Canadian Pat. No. 1,027,304 shows an artificial gland, in which a single blood flow path is defined by a semipermeable membrane coiled in helical form. Devices such as that disclosed in Spielberg have undesirably long response times when used, e.g., as an artificial pancreas, because of the great diffusion distances between the cell culture and the blood flow path.
Prior efforts of the present inventors on both parallel and coiled devices are described in Chick et al., A Hybrid Artificial Pancreas, Vol. XXI Trans.Amer.Soc.Artif.Int.Organs, 1975 and Whittemore et al., Effects of the Hybrid Artificial Pancreas in Diabetic Rats, Vol. XXIII Trans.Am.Soc.Artif.Intern.Organs, 1977.